Ride the Rocket

Newsletter 30

Aug 05, 2024

Embracing AI for Business Transformation. In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, many companies find themselves paralyzed by the endless debates on how to effectively implement AI. This cycle is stalling progress, creating a rhetorical loop that lacks a concrete action plan. Companies are caught up in endless sessions, bringing too many stakeholders into the early conversations, and taking an extremely risk-averse stance in an effort to protect their existing business models and applications. This excessive caution, however, may ultimately threaten their survival.

The Risks of Overcaution

The underlying issue is that these companies often cling to their current positioning, marketing strategies, and business models, under the mistaken belief that maintaining the status quo will safeguard their future. This complacency is dangerous, as it ignores the fast pace of technological advancement and market evolution. Being content and declaring "everything is fine" when it is not can lead to severe disruptions down the road. The business landscape is shifting, and those who fail to adapt will find themselves displaced by more agile competitors.

The Rise of AI-Infused Companies

As traditional industry giants become entangled in their bureaucratic knots, a new breed of companies is emerging. These forward-thinking organizations are integrating AI into their operations but are not necessarily leading with it in their market positioning. Internally, they adopt an AI-first approach to drive business transformation, ensuring that AI is at the core of their operational strategy. However, externally, they balance this with a broader message that resonates with their audience.

Embracing Alt-Tech

In this new wave of disruption, companies are increasingly turning to Alt-Tech solutions rather than relying on Big-Tech. Alt-Tech companies are innovating rapidly, developing new solutions that avoid the legal and ethical pitfalls associated with Big-Tech. By utilizing small language models and ensuring proper licensing of content, these companies are finding ways to navigate around traditional obstacles and create effective, compliant solutions.

Taking Action: Steps to Deploy AI

To stay competitive, companies must act now to integrate AI into their operations. The focus should be on enhancing efficiencies and transforming business processes. Here’s a simple guide to get started:

Identify Opportunities: Begin by assessing current workflows to find areas ripe for improvement.
Break Down Processes: Select a specific workflow and break it down into ten manageable steps.
Integrate AI: Determine which 3-4 steps within this workflow can be automated or enhanced using AI.
Prototype Implementation: Develop a prototype and set key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success.
Evaluate Results: Assess the new workflow for improved efficiencies and efficacies.
Share Success: Document and share this case study as proof of concept to educate and inspire other divisions.
Increase AI Literacy: Develop training materials and programs to boost AI knowledge and skills across the company.
Refine Processes: Regularly update and refine workflows through cross-division meetings and feedback sessions.
Communicate Results: Continuously share progress and outcomes with the C-suite and key stakeholders.
Establish AI Policies: Develop clear guidelines on AI governance, ethics, and bias management to ensure responsible use.

A Holistic Approach to AI Adoption

Successful AI implementation requires a holistic approach that goes beyond technology. It should not be solely led by IT or the CIO but should be driven by a people-first strategy emanating from HR. Detailed planning, clear objectives, and alignment with business goals are essential for success. Building momentum from the middle of the organization, rather than top-down or bottom-up, can ensure widespread adoption and effectiveness.

The AI Renaissance

The AI revolution is already underway. Companies need to move beyond navel-gazing and theoretical debates, and instead, ride the rocket into this new era of innovation. By embracing AI and integrating it thoughtfully into their operations, businesses can position themselves for long-term success and become leaders in this AI renaissance. Now is the time to act and transform your business for the future. If you need help with this, contact us and let’s have a conversation.

AI Roundup

White House says no need to regulate Open Source

The White House says there is no need to regulate open-source systems for AI in their current form and to allow the community to continue developing the technology. Kudos for open source.

Elon Musk calls Grok 'the most powerful AI by every metric' but 'secretly' trains the new model with your X data by default

Elon Musk has announced that his AI company is training its Grok LLM using a powerful AI training cluster, aiming to create the most powerful AI by December. X is collecting user data by default to train Grok. This can be disabled via a setting only available on the web app. There are concerns about AI 'inbreeding' and chatbots reaching their peak amid growing discussions on AI data usage and potential regulatory impacts. AI eating itself. Elon is a blowhard anyway, watch this space.

Raising children on the eve of AI

How do you prepare children for a future that could radically differ from today's norm? This article explores the ethical considerations of having children amidst AI-driven uncertainty, alongside pragmatic reflections on raising "AI-native" kids and parenting strategies that prioritize adaptability and joy over traditional career-focused paths. The author advocates for living a balanced life, preparing for various futures, and maintaining an open dialogue with children about potential risks.

Podcast Double Header

In this episode of RealmIQ: Sessions, host Curt Doty interviews Sandu Baciu, an engineer and AI creator specializing in advanced technology integration, 3D and 4D schedules, 3D printing, augmented reality, and AI visual applications. They discuss Sandu’s background in civil engineering and 3D modeling, the potential and current limitations of AI in creating 3D models from 2D images, and the evolving role of AI in various industries, including architecture, gaming, and entertainment. The conversation also touches on the implications of AI for intellectual property, creativity, and the future of digital art and metaverse applications. Watch Sandu on YouTube ➡️

Host Curt Doty, a veteran in Hollywood branding and marketing, interviews John Attanasio, co-founder of Toonstar. They discuss the integration of AI and other frontier technologies in animation and storytelling. John shares his journey from major studios like Warner Brothers and Disney to founding Toonstar, a company leveraging AI and machine learning to create accessible, community-driven animation content. They highlight the potential of AI to empower new storytellers, the ethical use of generative AI, and the importance of storytelling in the evolving media landscape. Watch John Attanasio on YouTube ➡️

El Sailon is Happening

What started as an idea, a post on LinkedIn, has now turned into an event.

August 13, 2024

Vladem Contemporary

404 Montezuma Ave.

Santa Fe, NM 87501

5:30 – 7:30pm

Featured Speaker: Cyndi Coon

"The Future of AI: Keeping Humanity at the Center."

If you are in Santa Fe, RSVP Here http://evite.me/elsailon

El Sailon is generously supported by the Office of Economic Development, City of Santa Fe, NM. Special thanks to Eric D Renz-Whitmore.

About the Author

Curt Doty specializes in branding, product development, social strategy, integrated marketing, and UXD. He has extensive experience on AI-driven platforms MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Murf.ai, and DALL-E. His legacy of entertainment branding: Electronic Arts, EA Sports, ProSieben, SAT.1, WBTV Latin America, Discovery Health, ABC, CBS, A&E, StarTV, Fox, Kabel 1, TV Guide Channel, and Prevue Channel.

He is a sought after public speaker having been featured at Streaming Media NYC, Digital Hollywood, Mobile Growth Association, Mobile Congress, App Growth Summit, Promax, CES, CTIA, NAB, NATPE, MMA Global, New Mexico Angels, Santa Fe Business Incubator, EntrepeneursRx and AI Impact. His AI consultancy RealmIQ helps companies manage the AI Revolution.

© 2024 Curt Doty Company LLC. All rights reserved. RealmIQ is a division of the Curt Doty Company. Reproduction, in whole or part, without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher is not responsible for any AI errors or omissions.